The Clunkster

gluten free

Renpure's Keratin and Argan Restorative Shampoo

Cruelty-Free, Beauty, Beauty ReviewKristenComment

Hello, my angels! I’m coming at you live from Long Island, New York, where I’m surrounded by boxes and piles of my belongings. Things are coming together slowly but surely, but I’m still overwhelmed! 

Today, I’m writing about Renpure’s Keratin and Argan Restorative Shampoo. I found it in Target earlier this year and decided to buy it because it had great ingredients and my hair needed some serious restoring at the time. Since then, I’ve chopped a chunk of my mane off (which you’d know if you were following me on Instagram ;) ). My hair feels so happy and healthy!

Anyway, I’ve been trying to use more natural, clean beauty products lately. Renpure stood out to me in the beauty aisle because of this shampoo’s two main ingredients: argan and keratin. I knew that keratin makes hair straighter and smoother, and that argan oil has a ton of healing properties. I’ve learned from Renpure’s website that argan has lots of vitamin E, antioxidants, and fatty acids, which hydrate and refresh your hair. This shampoo was made with berries, apples, and desert lily, so it smells super yummy, which is really important to me all the time, but especially in the shower. 

All of Renpure’s products are free of sulfates, phthalates, dyes, parabens, gluten, propylene glycol, and, my favorite, “bad vibes” :) Renpure donates personal care products to homeless shelters and people affected by natural disasters as well. 

As much as I love Renpure’s mission and practices, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this shampoo. There was nothing wrong with it, but it definitely fell short of my expectations. I’ve been using it for a while, and I saw no difference in the smoothness of my hair or in my split ends, which I had lots of before I chopped them off. With such great ingredients and mission, I really expected more. I wouldn’t be against trying them in the future, but I probably wouldn’t go nuts to buy them again.

Have you tried Renpure’s products? Let me know what you think in the comments!

lime and lotus organics' purify activated charcoal masque

Cruelty-Free, Beauty, Beauty Review, SponsoredKristenComment

Hello hello! I’m so excited to share this cruelty-free product review with you all today. As soon as Dr. Stephanie Zgraggen emailed me about her all-natural skincare line, Lime and Lotus Organics, I knew I had to share this brand with you all. As a holistic doctor, she started her brand when she was tired of recommending harmful, chemical-filled products to her patients. Like a badass, she created her own skincare brand! She sent me a bottle of Lime and Lotus Organics’ Purify Activated Charcoal Masque to review, and I fell in love. Thanks Dr. Zgraggen!

First of all, I’m such a fan of the ingredients in this formula. This masque is paraben, phthalate, petrochemical, and gluten-free. I’m familiar with almost all of the ingredients on the bottle. The only one I had to look up was sulfone, which turned out to be a sulfate. The formula itself smelled so delicious, like a vanilla cupcake! You guys know I love a nice-smelling beauty product. It’s not thick or sticky, which pleasantly surprised me. I’m assuming it’s because this masque contains only the most essential ingredients.

I also love the bottle itself. I find it so much easier to apply this masque with a pump, and it’s fun to share with friends! I did this masque with three of my friends, and they all loved it as much as I did. I wanted to share it with my mom, but she’s allergic to sulfur, which was the only obstacle I came across with the ingredients.

This masque is made with white willow bark, aloe vera, pomegranate seed oil, and activated charcoal, all of which contain great anti-inflammatory and detoxifying properties. I use this masque once a week to give my skin a little tune-up since it addresses every concern I have with my skin. It makes me feel so relaxed, refreshed, and renewed. The front of the bottle says “Detox, Tone, Hydrate,” and this masque definitely checks all of those boxes. 

I really can’t speak highly enough about this masque and this company. I’m so excited to offer you guys 20% off your purchase from Lime and Lotus Organics with my code, CLNKSTER! Make sure you hurry, because this code only lasts for the next month. If you really can’t wait, I have a surprise coming with Lime and Lotus soon. Stay tuned!

For more information about going cruelty-free, check out PETA’s Searchable Database or Cruelty-Free Kitty’s alphabetized list of cruelty-free brands.

Maple Holistics' Tea Tree Oil Shampoo!

Cruelty-FreeKristenComment

One of the best parts of running a fashion/beauty blog is that I'm introduced to so many awesome brands and products, and I get to bring them to you all! It's something I really missed during my hiatus. That's why I was SO excited when Maple Holistics reached out to me to try out their Tea Tree Oil Shampoo

As you all know, cruelty-free beauty is extremely important to me, mainly because I hate that beauty brands test their products on innocent, helpless animals. The way I see it, if products are made with ingredients that have the potential to do things like burn a bunny's eye off, why would I want to use them? Lately, I've been trying to learn more about what's in the products I use every day. Unfortunately, I've had a coule of rude awakenings, but Maple Holistics is all about cruelty-free beauty, as well as all-natural beauty in general. When I use this shampoo, I'm confident its ingredients. All of Maple Holistics' products are all natural and sulfate-free. This shampoo in particular is also GMO-free, gluten-free, and paraben-free. 

And Maple Holistics is truly a holistic company. My beauty routine is my favorite part of the day, and Maple Holistics takes steps to elevate that special part of the day for all of their customers. They meticulously select essential oils to put in their products, which seriously makes the WORLD of a difference. I've been getting into aromatherapy lately, and it's amazing how much a good scent can improve your mental health. This Tea Tree Oil Shampoo smells amazing. Imagine taking a hot, steamy shower, letting hot water wash away your day accompanied by the amazing smell of tea tree oil. It's encapsulating! 

Now that you know all about how amazing Maple Holistics is as a company, I need to tell you about how amazing this shampoo is. I feel like it was basically created for me! Tea tree oil is great for moisture and wound care, so it only makes sense that this shampoo has amazing healing properties for the scalp. Mine is always irritated, especially when I wear my thick, heavy hair in a high ponytail. And now that I'm enduring my twentieth East Coast Winter, my scalp is drier than ever. After I started using this shampoo, my head felt so much less irritated, and my hair was a lot softer and healthier. It even solves dandruff and lice problems! This shampoo is also great for hair growth. I love my long hair, and I'd do anything to make sure it stays thick and healthy. 

Overall, I am so happy I tried this shampoo! It really made a difference for me, and I admire that it comes from such an ethical company. You can get your hands on a bottle of your own here, but if you're interested in trying more products from Maple Holistics, they offer the opportunity to try some of their products through their Free Samples Program, because they're just that awesome. 

If you’re interested in going cruelty-free, check out PETA’s Searchable Database and Cruelty-Free Kitty’s alphabetized list of cruelty-free brands. If you have any cruelty-free recommendations, please comment them below!